The Most Wonderful Time Of The Year
by Copperpelt
Summary: Christmas is a time of giving, laughter, joy, and spending time with friends and family. Well, not for everyone. Shun has been putting on a fake smile during the Christmases since his mother's death, but he when he couldn't take it anymore, he began to lock himself away during the happiest time of the year. Now, Dan has taken it upon himself to get the old Shun back. R&R PLZ
1. Blue, Blue Christmas

_No One_

The bitter cold air nipped at the raven-haired youth's face as he drudged along the sidewalks of the city. All around him newly fallen snow graced the ground, bring children out to play in the frozen slush. But he was not filled with happiness.

This time of year, Christmas to be exact, was Shun's least favorite. It hadn't always been that way, but certain twists and turns in his life brought him to where he was at. He stopped walking and looked into the window of a store. It was decorated with garlands and lights around the door and window, and the interior wasn't much different.

Tiny Christmas trees filled shelves, along with other Yuletide related items for the holidays. Shun sighed and continued on his way, not wanting to dwell on the times past. People walked by him, not even so much as paying him any mind as they chatted away on their phones with loved ones, all while juggling overstuffed bags from stores whose contents would soon be wrapped and placed beneath a tree.

Shun only adverted his gaze from them. He hadn't had a reason to engage in such festivities and traditions in years, for there was no reason. Anything that mattered to him was no longer with him, so why should he celebrate another family-oriented holiday?

He stopped in the middle of the sidewalk, shaking his thoughts away before they drug him down into that pit of self-pity that he fell into every so often. Of course, there were his friends, but he hadn't seen or spoken to them in years. He could just see them now.

They were probably gathered around at Murucho's, which had been a tradition for them for several years. They would be wrapping each others presents in secrecy and placing them beneath an oversized tree in the center of the Marakura mansion.

Of course, they had tried to invite him on several occasions, but Shun didn't want anything to do with the holidays. He had spent one too many years pretending to enjoy the so-called 'wonderful time of the year,' but he had grown tired of the act recently and was no longer ashamed to hide himself away the moment the Christmas songs began to play in department stores.

Some people would probably call him bitter, but in all actuality, he had no harsh feelings towards the holidays; he simply had grown sick of spending it by himself and grieving in it. As far as he was concerned, he pretended that the holidays didn't even exist anymore due to the fact that it made the burden a bit more tolerable.

As the youth continued on his way down the sidewalk, he found himself at his stop; the post office. It was the day before Christmas Eve, and he knew the post office would most likely close early the next day. So, he wanted to get any mail that he had then and there so he wouldn't have to wait till the holidays passed.

He stepped inside, not surprised by the 'jolly' décor inside. He sighed and walked over to his assigned post box, stuck the key inside, and retrieved the mail. Once he locked the door back, he made his way over to the trash can so he could sort through what he needed to keep and what he could throw away.

As he sorted through the junk mail, he caught a glimpse of an all too familiar penmanship and address. It was a letter from Murucho and the rest of his friends, inviting him to their annual Christmas party, like they did every year. Shun was just about to toss the letter into the trash, thinking that he would be unable to handle being around them and their time of merriment.

But for some reason, he hesitated. Surely he didn't want to go; it would only bring bag the pain and grief that he was still feeling with knowing that all of his family was now gone. He didn't want to go and only bring the high-spirits down. That wouldn't be right. He couldn't bring that upon his friends.

But instead of throwing the letter away like he should have, he held onto it, slipping it into his coat pocket. Maybe he wanted to read what they had to say within the contents of the letter, he wasn't sure. Seeing that his trip to the post office had come to an end, he left with the mail he needed and stepped outside.

It was growing dark, and the streets weren't all that safe at night, even during this time of giving and cheer. Not wanting to risk getting jumped or mugged on the streets, Shun found the nearest bus stop and sat on the bench as he waited for the bus that would take him home.

Thankfully, he didn't have to wait too long before the massive vehicle rounded the corner and came to a halt in front of him. Letting out a hissing sound, the double doors slid open, allowing Shun entrance into the bus. He paid the fee and took a seat towards the middle.

There weren't many people riding with him; an elderly couple, somebody that looked like they could have possibly been intoxicated, and the bus driver. The vehicle started to move, and he looked out the window to watch cars drive by and buildings fly past. Shun ended up being the last person dropped off.

He wasn't immediately dropped off at his house, for the bus driver couldn't do that, much less drive out that far out of the city limits.

Instead, Shun was deposited at the nearest bus stop to his house, leaving him about a mile walk till he reached his home. Thankfully, he had no chances of being mugged in these rural, outskirts of the city. He clutched the collar of his jacket around his neck to retain some warmth, and started the walk back towards the dojo.

_Marakura Residence_

Dan and the others sat around in the main lobby of their short friend's home, sipping on warm drinks and bundled up in long-sleeve shirts to shield themselves from the chill that hung within the confines of the massive mansion. The brunette pulled out his phone, checking to see if he had received any calls without realizing it.

Runo noticed him do this and asked him worriedly, "Still no response from Shun?" Dan shook his head. They had sent him another invitation to Murucho's Christmas party like they had done every year, thinking that maybe he'd show up this time. But it was seeming like this would be nothing but a repeat of the years prior.

Dan was really hoping to see his friend again, for he hadn't heard from him in a couple of years. He knew Shun was most likely fine, and doing nothing more than shutting himself off again, but it always seemed to get worse at Christmas time. Dan didn't blame his friend though.

The brunette had known about Shun's act since the Christmas after his mother's death, even though the raven-haired youth never admitted it until a couple of years ago. That had been when he stopped attending Murucho's annual party, and started to close himself off more than usual.

What made it worse, Shun never had told anyone that he was going to stop attending the parties. He basically just vanished the moment the Christmas lights started going up. Dan, being concerned for his friend's well-being, ended up dropping by the dojo after the holidays had passed.

It was then that Shun finally admitted that it had all been an act since his mother's passing, that he had been forcing himself through the grief that the holidays brought to him, and that he could no longer handle it. Shun had resided in Dan with this information and told the brunette not to tell that others, for it would only cause them concern.

Dan promised not to say a word to the others about it, and he had kept that promise, despite the fact that he had a feeling that his friends knew about Shun. But overall, it saddened the brunette to know that this friend was suffering like this, and that there was nothing in his power that he could really do to change anything.

Dan sighed, no longer wishing to remember those dark days. He checked his phone again, not surprised that there was nothing new on the screen other than the time. "I don't think he's going to show," Dan stated. Julie smiled sadly and said, "Well, there'll be an empty chair for him, just in case he does show up."

The brunette highly doubted that his friend would show; he hadn't shown up for a party for nearly five years. What would give him a change of heart now? An idea then came to Dan's mind. It wouldn't hurt if the brunette dropped by the old dojo and paid his friend a visit, would it?

Doing that would give Dan an excuse to catch up with Shun a bit, and even maybe coax him into going to the party for the sake of the raven-haired youth's health, because surely locking yourself away like Shun was doing could not be good. Dan smiled at his idea, feeling that maybe this Christmas would be a bit different that the rest.

_No One_

Shun pushed open the large wooden gate that stood between him and his home. The doors creaked open, but the raven-haired youth had no worries of waking anyone up, for there was nobody but him that inhabited this place now.

His grandfather had passed several years ago, and that had been another reason that he had quit his Yuletide act once and for all. With the fact that there was none of his family left to even enjoy the time with. Sighing, Shun strode across the front lawn and towards the main door, where he rummaged for the keys that unlocked the door.

He finally found the one that he needed, and was about to stick the key inside, when he stopped. It always seemed difficult for him to go inside this dojo during the holidays. He would always think about when he was younger and would come here to visit his grandfather, and found out that his mother had snuck away and helped to decorate the dojo, much to the old man's displeasure.

When she passed away, his grandfather had tried to add some kind of festive decorations when the time rolled around, but they were never the same. Shun closed his eyes, fighting back the tears that threatened to spill over, and stuck the key into the door.

The dojo was at a comfortably warm temperature, but Shun left his jacket on anyway just so he could have some extra heat. He entered the living room, tossing the mail onto the coffee table and flipping on the lights as he walked past the switches. Shun sat down on the couch and reached for the letter from his friends.

Tearing the envelop open, he read the words on the page. They were asking for him to go to their Christmas party, which he figured that's what they were doing. But they were also saying how they all wanted to see him and catch up, and how the party would be the best way to do that.

Shun sighed and folded the letter back and slipped it into the opened envelop, not wanting to look at the paper again. Yeah, he kind of wanted to go and speak to his friends again, but he just couldn't bring himself to do it. He didn't want to feel the full extent of his melancholy and thrust it upon them and ruin their good time.

The raven-haired boy sat there on the couch for a moment, then stood up and walked down the hall, passing his room and the room that used to be his grandfather's, He then came to a storage room. Hesitating, he opened the door and flipped on the lights.

Plastic totes were stacked against the wall, each one marked what was inside with Sharpie markers. Shun strode over to the box that was labeled with Christmas ornaments. He brushed the dust off of the lid and popped the tote open. Plastic ornaments were stuffed in the box, but one stood out above the rest.

It was wrapped carefully in newspaper, and rested in the center of the pile of ornaments. "Almost forgot to do this," he said quietly, a hint of hurt in his voice. Shun reached into the box and pulled out the newspaper-wrapped ornament, and gently unwrapped it.

Inside, was a glass star that was colored with the starkest of royal blues, and a glass angel rested in the center of the star, its wings slightly unfurled as it held its hand outstretched, as if showing that it was there for whoever needed it. Shun held the ornament for a moment, observing how the lights reflected off of the glass and made it sparkle.

This had been his mother's favorite ornament, the one that she always wanted to put on the tree, regardless of whether or not its colors matched the scheme of the other adornments that were on the tree branches. Shun stood up and left the storage room, taking the glass prize with him.

He walked through the dojo and outside to the backyard, where a small fir tree sat towards the back corner of the property. He recalled when this tree was nothing more than a twig years ago, and now, its was nearly as tall as him. Had that many years really passed?

Shun stopped before the tree, and carefully slid the ornament onto a branch. The weight of the glass pulled the limb down a bit, knocking off some its snow, but it stayed put nonetheless. This had been his way of keeping his mother's tradition alive.

Even though Shun didn't go out and put a tree up in the house, he felt that he at least owed her enough to continue to put her favorite piece of Christmas out on display. Snow fell around the blue stared angel, bringing out its colors in contrast to the stark white and deep green of the tree.

Shun lowered his head some and cast his eyes down, then felt the warmth of tears starting to roll down his face. But he didn't wipe them away; he had to let them out, or else they'd rip him apart from being holed up.

He stared at the ornament with his watery eyes and said, "Another year." He ended up staying out there for several minutes, and would have probably stayed longer if it hadn't been for the cold getting to him. Shun then reluctantly left the tree and retreated back into the dojo.

* * *

yup. Christmas special time! this is going to turn out as three chapters. (i swear it will). the christmas eve chapter will be on none other than, christmas eve. (duh) as you all may have noticed, i'm attempted to write in third person. you know why? because i'm panning on doing _Take Me To Wonderland _and possibly _The Crown _in this style of writing, and i want to get some practice in. check out my profile for a poll! read, review, and other things! ~Copperpelt~


	2. A Time Of Giving And Helping

_No One_

Dan was one of the first to wake that morning, mainly due to the fact that his mind had been on the task before him. He was going to Shun's old dojo in an attempt to coax his friend out of his holiday slump, and maybe even convince the raven-haired boy to attend the Marakura's party.

The brunette loitered about the mansion for a couple of hours, waiting for the others to wake up and join him that Christmas Eve morning. He didn't want to just leave without saying a word to his friends, for none of them knew about his plans for they day. They all assumed that he was going to stay at the mansion with them.

It wasn't much longer before Runo and Murucho emerged from upstairs. Their hair was still messy from where they hadn't groomed it after waking up, but I was sure that they didn't care how their appearance was; friends could look messy among friends. Murucho let out a yawn and said to me, "You're up already, Dan?"

He nodded, not yet wanting to tell his friends that he was planning on going over to Shun's; he's most likely tell them after they all sat down and ate their breakfast. Soon after Runo and Murucho joined the brunette, Alice and Julie did the same.

They looked a bit more awake than the bluenette and blonde had, but they still had a ting of sleep in their eyes. Murucho said to us, "Why don't we go ahead and move into the dinning hall? Breakfast will be served shortly." Nobody protested as the short blonde led them through the maze of hallways and to the massive eating area. When they reached our destination, they broke off and sat at their usual seats.

Although, Dan couldn't help but realize that one seat wasn't occupied, and it hadn't been for several years. It was the chair that Shun normally sat in whenever he was with them. True, it was rather far away from the others, but that was just how Shun was at times.

He liked his space, and Dan didn't blame him, but he did find it rather annoying at times when his friend didn't want anything to do with everybody else. Dan shook the memories and thoughts away when Kato began to bring out their breakfast. There wasn't much fancy about the spread before them; eggs, bacon, cereal, some toast, and other breakfast related items.

Dan, who would have normally been shoveling the food down as if it would have run away, ate almost at the speed of the others, if not slower. He didn't realize it, but he was unconsciously trying to prolong his departure time. The brunette was worried that his plan wouldn't come to fruition, and he would return empty handed.

But this had to be done, and the brunette knew it. Shun couldn't continue to keep doing this every year, it wasn't good for him, or anyone else around him. Dan knew that one part of Shun's alienation was so he wouldn't cause the others worry or grief, but the raven-haired boy's cause had a different outcome.

The others did worry, for they hadn't seen or heard from Shun in several years. Without realizing it, Dan had finished his breakfast, and was now staring before his empty plate. Alice mentioned to him, "That took you a while to finish. Do you feel sick, Dan?"

The brunette snapped back to reality and said with his cocky smile, "Nah. I'm fine." This seemed to quell his friends' worries, for they went back to eating their breakfast. Dan then stood up, and strode across the room towards the door that led to the main lobby of the mansion.

From the table, Runo asked him, "Dan, where are you going?" Dan didn't exactly want to tell them what he was about to do, for they would most likely want to tag along and try to help. Although, the brunette would have applauded them for that, he knew that this had to be a one on one thing; anymore people, and Shun would have only been more likely to refuse this proposition.

"I remembered I have something that my mom wanted me to do for her today. Don't worry. I'll be back later," he told them. His friends bought the little lie and allowed him to leave without another word or question. As Dan made his way towards the exit, he snatched up his coat and slung it over his shoulders, then stepped out into the cold, Christmas Eve air.

_No One_

Sun filtered through the slits in the blinds, hitting Shun right in his eyes. They twitched for a moment, then opened, revealing two amber orbs. Now that he was awake, he knew there wasn't much of a chance of him falling back asleep. But even knowing this, he laid there in his bed.

Shun had desire to get up, for there was nothing to do; all he would be able to do, would be walk aimlessly around the house. Going into town was out of the question. All of the businesses would be closed because of what day it was, so going and walking around a mall or something to keep his mind occupied wouldn't work.

Regardless, it wouldn't work anyway. All of the tinsel and lights would bring back the bouts of memories, which in turn, brought back the pain. So, Shun rolled over on his other side, facing his back towards the sun, and brought the blanket up to his chin so he could retain some warmth.

Normally, this day had been one that the raven-haired boy had looked forward to when he was younger. Then again, most kids that had been his age did as well. But he didn't look at it as the day before Christmas. No. He looked at it as the day when what little family he had got together and set aside any differences they may have had at the time.

He remembered how the house and all of its rooms had been filled with laughter and light-hearted jokes, creating the most pleasant and warmest of atmospheres. It was enjoyable to be around everyone, and the reason for the gathering had been his mother.

She had been the one that had contacted friends, and everyone that was left in their family. But after her death, fewer and fewer people showed up because they lost touch, or for some other reason. His grandfather had tried to keep a state of normalcy during the holidays and kept contact with as many people as he could, friends mainly. But when the old man died, so did the tradition.

Shun didn't have any of their numbers, and also had no desire to bring people over for the holidays. They just weren't the same. Shun buried half of his face into his pillow, feeling newly forming tears staining it. He couldn't keep going on like this every year.

There had to be something that would keep his mind off of everything and ease his still-grieving heart. Shun, feeling his eyes growing heavy, was about to try and seek refuge in his sleep, when a knock on the door startled him awake.

_No One_

Dan stood outside of the old dojo, holding his sides as to retain some heat. His nose was stopped up from the cold, so now he was breathing out of his mouth. The brunette watched as his breath turned into cloudy little wisps to pass the time. Seeing that Shun hadn't immediately answered the door, Dan knocked again, a little bit louder this time.

He then began to wonder if Shun was even here. Perhaps his friend had gone out of town to try and escape some of the old memories that may have still be haunting him. Dan, just about to give up, sighed and started to turn around. But he paused when he heard footsteps walking towards the door from the

other side. Then, the door opened a bit, and Shun peered outside to see what the source of the knocking was. The raven-haired boy froze when he saw that it was Dan. What was he doing out here? It then occurred to Shun that whatever reason it was, couldn't be one that was good.

"Yeah?" he asked stoically. Dan was slightly taken aback by his friend. The raven-haired boy's eyes were tinged with the slightest of pink, but it was enough for the brunette to know that he had been crying. Dan shook himself back into focus and said with a gentle smile, "Hey, I was just stopping by to see how you were doing. Heck, I was beginning to wonder if you were even here."

He added in a chuckle for good measure, and as a means to let Shun know that he was there for friendly reasons. "I'm doing fine. Is that all you wanted to know?" Shun asked and appeared to be shutting the door. Dan acted quickly and held the door open with his foot.

Shun stared at the brunette in surprise. Dan said sternly, "Shun, just talk to me for a bit." The two friends stood there for a moment. The silence was broken by a sigh that escaped Shun. "Alright. Come on inside. It's too cold out here to talk," he said flatly and walked inside.

Dan nodded and followed him into the dojo. Inside, the lights were off, but things looked the same as always. Shun then said, "Sorry if the place is a mess. I wasn't really expecting any company." Dan thought he picked up on a hint of hostility. The brunette then began to look around at the living room.

If this was messy, he was afraid to know what clean looked like, for everything in the room was spotless and neatly organized. Perhaps Shun was just trying to fill a forming void of silence. Dan took a seat on the couch, and Shun sat in a chair across from him. Silence hung around in the hair for a moment, before the raven-haired boy finally broke it.

"Alright, why are you really here, Dan?" he asked with his arms folded over his chest and eyes adverted somewhere else in the room. Dan frowned, seeing that this would be more difficult than he thought. He told his friend, "I just wanted to drop by and talk. Catch up and see how things were going. I mean, you haven't even so much as sent a text to anyone, so how do we know what's going on with you?"

The silence returned to the room, but it was Dan that broke it this time. He asked, "So, how are you doing?" Shun closed his eyes for a moment, then opened them halfway and gazed down at the coffee table that sat between them. "I've been….Getting by, I guess," he said finally.

Dan nodded, knowing that it was best not to pry too much, or else Shun might end up kicking him out and refuse to let him back in. He had to approach this carefully, or else the brunette might set off a chain-reaction that nobody could recover from.

He said to the raven-haired youth, "I know that this time of year is still hard on you, buddy, but how much longer are you going to let it eat you like this? Trust me, Shun, I can't even begin to imagine how difficult it must be to go through what you're going through, but you have to remember that you're not entirely alone. You've still got us. We're still you're friends."

This created a pang in Shun's chest. He knew that his friends would still be there for him, no matter how much he tried to push them away; sometimes, he found their stubbornness to be nauseating. But in all actuality, he wanted somebody to be there.

He wanted somebody that he could lean on when he needed support. But it was his own stubbornness that prevented him from opening up and allowing them to help. He had nobody to blame for these walls around him, other than himself. Dan had continued speaking without Shun realizing it.

"You can't keep going on like this. You've got to move on," the brunette said sadly. Shun cast his eyes away. He had tried to move on, many times at that. But no matter how much he tried, nothing seemed to work. He would be fine the rest of the year, but once this time rolled around, it all came back and hit him as hard as ever.

And at times, he worried that nothing would ever change. When Shun didn't say anything in response to Dan, the brunette frowned again. "Shun, if you think it will help in any way, have you given any thought to going to Murucho's Christmas party?" he asked. Shun stared at the brunette for a moment, then sighed.

"Not really. Dan, I appreciate you trying to help, but I don't need it," Shun told him, trying to bit back the tears that were threatening to spill over. Shun would have been fine just staying in bed all day, trying not to think about these kinds of things.

But with Dan here and him trying to coax the raven-haired boy out of hiding, there was no way that these thoughts would quiet themselves down now. Dan stared at Shun in surprise. He was sure that his raven-haired friend would have accepted the generous outstretched hand of help.

"But, Shun. You can't keep doing this to yourself. It's not healthy," Dan said, trying to reach his friend's common sense. The brunette was about to say something else, but Shun cut him off. "Dan, I don't need your help. Now, please. Just leave me be," the raven-haired boy snapped, trying to keep his emotions under control.

Dan stared at him for a moment, then sighed. "Fine….But if you change your mind, then there's still a place for you at Murucho's." The brunette stood up and was just about to leave from the dojo, but halted at the door. He then turned and said to Shun, "Nobody deserves to be alone and suffer like you do during this time of the year…Or any time of the year for that matter."

With that, Dan walked out of the dojo and left the property. Shun sat there in silence for a moment, and slowly, his gaze shifted towards the letter on the table. _Nobody deserves to be alone and suffer like you do during this time of the year…._

* * *

one more day till Christmas! woo! check out my profile for a poll and read, review, and other things. ~Copperpelt~


	3. The Christmas Miracle

_No One_

Shun woke up that morning, trying his best to keep things like any other day of the year. He was going to try and keep his mind off of what this day really was, for it would only torment like it had every year since things changed. But this was proving difficult for him, if not impossible.

How could he ignore the fact that it was Christmas? He couldn't, that was all there was to it. The raven-haired youth sat down at the kitchen table, eyes scanning over the morning paper that he had picked up from the mailbox earlier. Headlines read about the holiday season, and articles spoke of happy occasions.

Even the comics were holiday themed. Unable to handle looking at the paper for another moment, he folded it back and slid it away from him. Now, he sat down at the table, head resting in the palms of his hands and elbows propped up on the mahogany surface. His thoughts then drifted back to the events that transpired the other day.

Dan had stopped by, and in a futile effort, attempted to get Shun to go to Murucho's Christmas party. Of course, the raven-haired boy refused and asked for Dan to leave before things got ugly, for Dan's presence hadn't been helping Shun push the memories away.

At the time, Shun had been positive that he wanted nothing to do with the party, or anything relating to the season. But after the brunette left, Shun's eyes had kept drifting towards the invitation that sat on the coffee table, and doubt had been filling his mind ever since.

The raven-haired boy thought back to something else his friend told him yesterday. He had said that Shun had to move on, and the raven-haired boy knew he was right. How long had Shun been grieving and suffering like this? Since he was twelve or so?

That was far too long when he thought about it. There had been times when Shun tried to move on, continue with his life and allow the past to finally rest, but there was just so much weight on his shoulders at the time, that even the most simple things felt like impossible tasks; moving on was no exception.

Maybe it was time for him to try and let the past die and stop dwelling on it. Perhaps now he had recovered a bit more from that overwhelming time, and now was able to let old demons go. He certainly didn't want to live this way anymore; it was just too much at times.

Shun ran a hand through his shoulder-length hair and sighed. But what if it wasn't his time to go on with his life? It scared him to know that he might not be fully prepared to let go of the past, because he knew that that would mean pain for more years to come.

But Shun would never know unless he tried, right? His eyes drifted back over to the invite. And what better way to find out if he was ready to move on, than to go into the center of what he had been avoiding for so many years? He got up and picked the envelop, and took the letter out.

His eyes scanned down the letter, looking for a date and time that he vaguely remembered being typed on the parchment.

He then found it. The party would be later on that night. Knowing this, Shun felt like he had plenty of time to think it all over, and if he did decide to go, he would still have time to get ready and show up with time to spare. Shun sat down on the couch and stared at the letter in his hands, debating on whether or not to go.

_No One_

Dan hated going back to Murucho's after his conversation with Shun the other day; it only reminded him that he had failed in getting his friend to return to them for the holidays. Now, the brunette sat on a couch in the main living room at the Marakura mansion.

Around him, the others were chatting and smiling, allowing the full effects of the holiday season to influence their attitudes. The party wouldn't be till later on in the day, and it was quite apparent that Julie wanted the party's designated time to hurry up.

Dan couldn't blame her, for Murucho's parties had never disappointed. But knowing that he had failed in getting his friend to show up, put somewhat of a damper on Dan's Christmas spirit. The brunette continued to sit on his couch, wishing that he had something to occupy his time.

And just like his silent pleas had been heard, Murucho approached him and asked, "Dan, could you help me carry presents down and put them under the tree?" Seeing that this would put an end to the brunette's boredom, he agreed to help his blond friend, who, in turn, led him to where the presents were being stashed.

Some weeks back, they all had gone out to buy gifts for one another, and Murucho had taken it upon himself to get everything boxed and wrapped. Now, Dan walked behind Murucho, arms full of wrapped packages with ribbons tied around them. A single tag waving around in the air as he walked, caught Dan's attention.

It had Shun's name written on it, obviously in Kato's handwriting. They always got him a gift each year, regardless of whether or not he showed up; they did this just in case he did show up. So that way, if he did, perhaps he wouldn't feel excluded or forgotten about.

But Dan knew that this would be another year that his friend's gift sat under the tree, untouched. The brunette didn't say anything though. Everyone knew that the odds of Shun showing up were slim, like every year. Dan and Murucho arrived back in the main room, where they quickly deposited the gifts beneath the tree.

Julie clapped her hands together and said excitedly, "I can't wait to see everyone's faces when they open their gifts! That's my favorite part of today!" Dan had to admit, it was his favorite part as well. There was no other feeling like seeing somebody's face light up when you got them just the right gift.

It gave him a sense of accomplishment. Murucho made sure to carefully set down the last of the presents he was holding. And when his hands were freed, he told Julie with a smile, "Well, you'll have to wait till the party tonight." Julie pouted for a moment, then smiled brightly.

"Alright! I'll wait," she said cheerfully and skipped off into another room. As Christmas day went on, several people that were friends of Murucho's parents showed up for the night's party. The adults migrated into one room to socialize, leaving the five friends to themselves.

Murucho pulled out a piece of paper that was filled with names. His eyes trailed down the list before he said, "I think that's everyone on the guest list that we know of that's coming to the party." He folded the paper up and tucked it back into his pocket. Kato, the loyal butler, walked into the room, giving everyone a formal bow.

He then cleared his throat and said, "There seems to be a surprise guest." Confused, the five friends looked past the butler, only to have their eyes widen in surprise when Shun stepped out from behind Kato.

_No One_

Shun felt like all eyes were on him; probably because they were. His old friends stared at him, clear surprise in their eyes. From what he could tell, none of them had changed that much. Perhaps Murucho had grown a bit taller, but that was it. Slowly, Shun raised his hand and gave them a slight wave.

"Hey, gu-" He was cut off mid-sentence when Murucho, Julie, Runo, and Alice rushed up to him and embraced him in a group hug. He stood there, a surprised look on his face. Murucho laughed and said, "Shun! We thought you weren't going to show up this year!"

There were choruses of agreements coming from the three girls as they continued to hold the raven-haired boy in their affectionate hug of death. Dan, who hadn't moved from the spot he was standing in, only stared in disbelief. The brunette was sure that his friend wasn't going to show up.

So, seeing Shun right before him was a unexpected turn of events for him. The four ecstatic friends finally let go of the raven-haired boy, all of them smiling brightly with happiness because their long lost friend had returned to them. Dan then approached Shun, and the air tensed up a bit.

The brunette said calmly, "I thought you weren't going to go this year." Shun shrugged his shoulders and told his friend, "Somebody told me that nobody deserves to be alone on Christmas, and I decided that they were right."

Shun grinned slightly, causing Dan to realize that his words actually had gotten to the raven-haired boy. Dan smiled and said, "Awesome. Well, you made it just in time for the party."

_No One_

Shun had to admit that he had felt a bit apprehensive when he first showed up. But after seeing the happy expressions of his old friends and seeing how they had missed him, he eased up a bit, thinking that this wouldn't be as bad as he thought.

There was also a sense of release for him that he hadn't felt at all since the Christmas lights went up around the city. For the first time, in a very long time, he felt like he might have actually been able to enjoy himself. Although, there was still that slight hollow feeling nagging him, for this wasn't celebrating with his family.

Nowhere was this near the gatherings that his mother would put together, or the same traditions that had been passed down from generation to generation. But there was still a warm sense of comfort. A few moments after Shun's arrival, the party truly began.

The guests were asked to move to the dinning room for dinner. The massively long table's seats were filled for the first time that Shun knew of; it had always been he and the others eating at the table. He had never seen enough people in one gathering to fill up every seat.

As everyone sat and ate their food, that sudden feeling of dread began to creep up on Shun as he recalled previous Christmas dinners that he went to with his mother. He knew he would have to recompose himself quickly, or else he would allow these memories to take over him again.

Politely, Shun stood up and said to his friends, "Excuse me for a moment. I need some air." He then stepped out of the room and outside of the mansion, where he stood in the cool night air for a bit. Back in the dinning room, Murucho stated, "Guess Shun gets a bit claustrophobic in large groups."

Runo shrugged and crossed her arms. "Doesn't surprise me," she said and wiped her mouth with her napkin. Dan knew better than that though. His friend most likely wasn't stepping outside because he didn't like the large crowd. No. He knew Shun too well for that.

Most likely, the raven-haired boy had excused himself before things turned bad for him. Dan had noticed that up until then, Shun appeared to have been having an honest to good time at the party. The brunette then stood up and said, "I'll be back in a moment. I'm just gonna go check on Shun and make sure everything's alright."

They nodded and continued to eat what was left on their plates. Dan asked several partygoers that he passed if any of them had seen Shun. Not many of them were sure, but one woman saw the raven-haired boy step outside of the front door. Dan thanked her and exited the mansion.

Outside, Shun was leaning against one of the massive support columns. He had to stop this. He was trying to move on and leave his past memories behind, for goodness sake! How would he ever resume a normal life if he kept letting these kinds of things weigh him down?

Shun shook his head. He had been having a good time, much to his surprise. He was sure that he would have been having a semi-pleasant time for a while, then perhaps slowly warmed up. But he had almost immediately started to enjoy himself and the warm company of his friends and total strangers that were in the Christmas spirit.

Was it possible that he had missed all of this without realizing it? "Everything okay?" a voice asked from beside him. Shun turned and saw that Dan had joined him outside. The raven-haired boy told him, "Yeah. Everything's fine. It almost wasn't, but I think I've got in under control now."

Dan smiled slightly and told him, "Good. Now, better get back inside before everyone starts thinking that you're having some kind of panic attack." Shun tilted his head to the side in confusion. "Panic attack?" he asked curiously. Dan chuckled and waved his hand nonchalantly.

The brunette then said, "Don't worry about it." Shun shrugged his shoulders and followed his friend back into the mansion. The raven-haired boy knew for a fact that none of the others knew of his grief at Christmas time, so he could only assumed that the panic attack reference was something of their doing, seeing as they were completely in the dark of what Shun had been going through.

When he and Dan got back to the others, dinner had been finished. Julie ran up to the raven-haired boy and told him, "You okay, Shun?" The others had joined behind her, worried looks on their faces. Shun chuckled a bit and told them, "Yeah."

Their worried expressions vanished just as quickly as they appeared. Murucho then snapped his fingers together to grab everyone's attention. He told everyone, "It's time to open presents!" Julie clapped her hands together and ran off into another room before anyone else could. We followed her dust-trail into the main room, and suddenly she was pushing boxes into everyone's arms.

Alice, who had been quiet and reserved for most of the night, nearly dropped hers. A slight blush crossed her face at her near-fail, but when she saw that nobody noticed, she quickly straightened up and joined the others. The six friends sat around, Julie still passing around the wrapped boxes.

One was then handed to Shun, who was taken aback by it. Cautiously, he took it and stared down at the neatly wrapped package. Shun then told his friends, "If I had known that I was going to be here tonight, I would have gotten you all something. I kind of feel embarrassed now."

It was true. He felt like he was imposing now, and it made him feel somewhat guilty as well. Alice smiled warmly at Shun and told him, "It's alright. Having the original group back together again is better than anything that we could get for Christmas." Runo smiled brightly and added, "Yeah. Alice is right."

Everyone was nodding and smiling in agreement, and Shun didn't feel as embarrassed as before; but it was still there. As presents were opened, and thanks exchanged, Shun stared down at his gift. When was the last time that he had opened a Christmas present? Surely it was the last time he went to Murucho's Christmas party.

Deep down, he could feel the dark memories trying to resurface, but he quickly pushed them back down. He would let them rule his life no more. Shun was going to return back to his old self, before misfortune befell his life. No longer would grief control him. Alice asked him with a smile, "Aren't you going to open your's?"

Shun snapped back to reality, leaving his triumphant thoughts behind. He tore the paper off of the box and opened it up. Laying in the center of the box among a sea of newspaper, was a picture. It was an old one, from when they were all about twelve or so. It was of the last Christmas that he had before his mother died, and before everything became so difficult.

It was of the last time he had a somewhat true and genuine smile. The picture had all six of them gathering around at Dan's for Christmas that year. In the picture, Runo was wearing a Santa hat that Dan had put on her last minute before the picture was taken.

Shun recalled how she yelled at Dan, but after seeing the picture and realizing that it looked pretty good, she had actually thanked him. A 'Christmas Miracle' as Dan had called it. Murucho spoke up and told Shun, "We had been saving that present for you for the past several years, waiting to give it to you when you showed up."

It was later did Shun find out that it had been a group gift. Now, he was officially caught up with them, returned back into the loop that was their friendship. Shun smiled and said, "Thank you, guys." The party lingered on a bit longer into the night.

The six friends stayed and caught up with each other until it got way too late to be reasonable. So, they dispersed, returning back to their respective homes. Shun was one of the last ones to leave Murucho's, his gift tucked away underneath his arms as he approached the nearest bus stop.

He then heard somebody running up behind him, and turned around to see Dan. The brunette halted in front of Shun, a sly grin on his face. Shun arched an eyebrow and asked, "What?" Dan kept his grin and narrowed his eyes, then said matter-of-factly," Admit it. You had a good time tonight."

Shun rolled his eyes and looked down the street, seeing the bus coming his way. "I don't have time for this, Dan. My bus is here." Dan ran in front of Shun, blocking his access to the bus stop. "Admit it, and I'll move out of the way," he said with a smile. Shun rolled his eyes, finding his own self to be smiling.

The raven-haired youth said, "Yeah. I did. I'm glad I went." Dan gave a satisfied smile and asked, "Can we expect to see you at next year's party?" Behind Dan, the bus driver honked the horn in annoyance; Shun knew he would have to wrap this conversation up soon, or else he would have to wait for the next bus. He then turned back to Dan and told him, "Of course. Wouldn't miss it for anything."

The brunette smiled triumphantly and said, "Good. Well, I better let you get on your bus before you're walking home. See ya." Dan then walked around Shun and returned back to Murucho's mansion. The raven-haired youth quickly climbed onto the bus, taking his usual seat.

But rather than looking out the window with a depressing disgust at the Christmas decorations, he grinned slightly, no longer minding what they reminded him of. For years, he thought that he didn't have any family to celebrate the holidays with. But he had been so wrong.

He had family this whole time, and they had been in front of him this whole time. Back at Murucho's, Dan placed the last of his gifts into the trunk of his car and slammed the lid closed. He had felt rather victorious, knowing that if he hadn't confronted Shun, his friend would probably had never shown up.

Dan walked around his car and sat down in the driver seat, turning the vehicle on and allowing the engine to warm up before leaving. While he sat there, he couldn't help but think that this was another 'Christmas Miracle' for him and his friends.

* * *

something short and sweet. i hope everyone had a Merry Christmas and that Santa brought them what they wanted (or some of what they wanted) ;P check out my profile for a poll and read, review, and other things. ~Copperpelt~


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